Aeroplane or the like



6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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y; W?, fr/WMM L. BLERIOT.

AEROPLANE 0R THE LIKE.

FILED FEB e 1918 Jan. 2, 1928.

Jam. 2, 192s. l

f L..BLERIO.T.

AEROPLANE 0R THE UKE.

FILED FEB. I6, 1918.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3 5% f//Pmwz Wr/zeg Jan, 2, 1923.. lifl.

L. BLRIOT. AROPLANE OR THE LIKE.

FILED FEB. 16. 1918. @SHEETS-SHEET l?.

Jan, 2, 1923 u A' y v Y 1,441,056.-

' AEROPLIANE 0R`TH-E LIKE. l,

FILED FEB. 15,4918. V6 SHEETS-SHEET. 5.

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, L. BLRIOT.

AEROPLANE 0R THE LIKE.

FILED FEB.16. 191s. 6 SHEETS-SHEET e.

` and llaten-ted 2, 192330 LOUE BLREOT, Ol? SURESNES, FRANCE.

.AERQPLANE OR THE LEKE.

.Application filed February 165l 1.918.

Serial No. 217,606.

(GRANTED UNDER THE Plutll/"ll' 6F THE AGT 0F MARCH 3, 192i ll STAT. L. lSS.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that l, Louis BLnroT, engineer, a citizen oft' the French Republic, residing at Suresnes, TFrance, have inventer certain new and useful improvements in lfieroplanes or the like (for which l have liled applications in France, filed February 2li, 1916, Patent No. 502,839; and in France, lled llune 1S, i917, and in Great Britain, liled December 29, 1916, `llatent No. 130,372), oi which the 'following is a specification.

lll`his invention relates aeroplanes or the lilte.

rl'he invention has for its main object to construct aeroplanes or the like with a large number of enginesrwhich are mounted as close as possible to the axis ot the machine.

The invention Coni-prises an aeroplane having several engines mounted at the corners of a square or polygon having its centre on the longitudinal axis oi the said aeroplane, and the sides practically equal to the diameter off they propellers to be mounted on the shafts oit the said engines.

rl'he invention further comprises certain other arrangements, more explicitly reterred to hereinafter.

The invention will be clearly runlerstood trom the following description and the accompanying drawings, by way oi ex/ Figures l and 2 show respectively 'n and in liront elevation, an aeroplano according to the iirst method of carry the invention.

Figure 3 shows, inside elevationLan aeroplane built in accordance with thel second method of carrying out the invention.

Figure 4- shows in side elevation a bipiane built according to the third method oi cerrying out the invention.

Figures 5 and 6 show respectively in front and side elevation, a biplane built according 'to the fourth method oi"- carrying out the invention. f

A four-plane aeroplane with 'our engines will first be described.

The ce ls are built, each oi two planes l prei-t rably the upper plane al ot 'the nrst cell equal in sise to the lower plane ample. side built im.; out

o: of the second cell. The lower plane all of the first cell is preferably equal in size to the pper plane o* oiE the second cell and has a greater spread than the upper plane al.

`ln each of the cells are mounted two engines o arranged symmetrically relatively to the central vertical plane, by placing lhem at such a distance from the said een! 'al plane that the distance l etweethe of the two engines is slightly grr-eater than the diameter of tl e propellers which a-re mounted on the shaits of the said engine.

rlheY first cell is mounted above the second, either as shown in Figure l, or so that the four planes are arranged in the form ogt steps. Care must be taken to choose the distance between the upper plane at or the second cell and the lower plane a3 of the iirst cell so that the distance between the two horisontal planes (passing through the axes o't 'the propellers of the engines mounted in the i'irst cell, and through the axes of' the propellers ol the engines mounted in the second cell n is slightly greater than the diameter ot the said propellers.

YThe cells thus mounted are provided with stays in the ordinary manner. Y Between the two cells is nimnited nacelle c 'or the pilot andthe passenger-fl: so that the central ver- ,o

tical plane or the said nacelle passes through the longitudinal anis oiA the aeroplane.

Under the bottoni cells is lined a landing trame (Z, at the baci: of the said cells are mounted struts c supporting the rea-r planes and the vertical and horizontaly rudders and linally the aeroplane is provided with suitable control devices. The 'result o1 the above is a four-engine aeroplane in nrich the engines are arranged at the corners of 'a stuare the centre ott which is in the lontudinal axis oi the aeroplane, andthe side of which is substantia'llyf1 equal t the diameterv oi the propellers. @ning to this the engines are as near as possible to the longituc inal axis of the aeroplane, and the torque about a vertical anis, producedV by each oi these when one or more ot them ceases to work, reduced to a minimum.

There may also be a minimum of stays Cri used :for the planes by connecting them to the ends of each of the .cells to the point where the engine is mounted. Four up* rights f1 7-'2 f3v f4 are used, and for connecting together' the two cells, two uprights f5 vupright f4 of the bottom cell, passes through the bottom end oi the upright ,f2 or the upper cell, and through the upper end olf the upright or the lower cell.` ln that way, it is only necessary to use the `following stays, namely, a wire g1 starting from the y upper end of the upright f1 of the upper cell, passing through the bottom end 01"' the upright f2 or the said cell,` through the upper end of the upright f3 of the bottom cell yandterminating at *the` lower end 'of the upright f4 of the said cell. A wire g2 starting from thev upperend of the uprighty 7M of the upper cell, passingy through the bot-- tom end of the upright]c3 of the said cell,

' through the upper end of the upright f2 of the bottom cell, and terminating at the bottom end of the upright f1 of the said cell. A wire gconnecting the upper end `of the upright f1 of the upper cell to the upperv end of the upright f7 and a wire g4 connect ing'the bottom end ofthe upright f7 to the bottom end of theupright f1 of thebottom cell., Such a system of strengthening, whilst `offering comparatively no resistance to ad-lv vance, ensures in a perfect manner rigidity y .and indeforinability of the planes.

f A landing frame (Z is 'constituted by three yframes, one of whichis arranged in thel central plane, andthe ltwo others are air-- ranged laterally considerably below the engines; :Thelateral frames have the `axle of' their wheels suspended to a triangular frame, the hypotenuse or which issituated inside so that the said lateral frame can re'- fsist lateral shocks better.

The' landing frames are constructed so that` each or them comprises two bearing wheels, and the centralframe comprisesin addition a runner d1 so arranged that when thelaeroplane rests on the ground, it rests l on its wheels and its runner, without any lfear vor its tail `ever coming into contact,

with the ground. The runner' in the lei;- ample illustrated is provided in 'front with two small rauxiliary wheels d10. rllhe runner is also preferably connected to the body of the aeroplane at its rear end, by a yrod (Z2 provided with a shock absorber X20 acting in the vertical direction, and at its front end by a pair or rods Z3 which are preferably utilized alsodfor supporting the nai celle c.

rlfhe planes are so arranged that only the bottom surface of the upper cell'and the upper surface of the bottom cell can be warped. p y

There is mounted on the landing traine aA `receptacle'in vwhich are placed bombs or other projectiles.

Ubviously the invention is not limited to the constructions described but comprises modifications, that is to say, the Jfour engines might be mounted sothat they are at the corners or a vsquare on. an aeroplane other than a quadruplane, on a quintuplane orv even, as shown in Figure l, on a biplane, in the latter case very flat engines could advantageously be vused 'because they could be mounted without materially projecting above and below the planes in recesses provided therein. Y

In the latter case, also, if it is desired that the nacelle c be supported `directly by the lowerl plane a2, as shown invFigures-'and 6, it is necessaryl to increasethe distance between thetwo engines so that the distance between the axes of the two enginesv is slightly greater than the sum of the diame ter or their propellers and of the width of the nacelle c.` Y The engines are then mounted'` at the corners 'of a trapeziuin.

lso

When it is desired to make' use o a nuinber of engines greater than four, ther said engines are arranged atltlie corners or a polygon, the `center of which is inthe longitudinal axis `of the aeroplane. f i

Obviously also the nacelle c'could consti-- tute the fuselage o-the aerofplane.

Having now particularly described and asc'eitained the rnatureoit-,myv said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, l declare thatl what l lclaim is l. ln an aeroplane a plurality `ol engines mounted, atthe corners or a geometrical iig# ure having at Vleast rofurgcorners, said figure having its center'on the longitudinal axis of the aeroplane and its sides practically equal to the diameter or the propellers to be mounted on the shafts oi the engines, said ligure lying in a plane substantiallyperpendicular to the longitudinal axis or the aeroplane. i 1 2. ln an Vaeroplane a set ofatleast four engines arranged at the respective corners of a geometrical igure which lies in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the aeroplane, the distance between the axes or the diii'erent enginesbeing slightly greater than the diameter of the propellers to be mounted on the shafts of the respective -engines. Y l

3. ln an aeroplane a set or" at least four engines arranged to deiine the respective corners of a geometrical figure which lies in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis or" the aeroplane and whose center is substantially coincident with the longitudinal axis of the aeroplane.

4l. An aeroplane comprising two superposed cells, each constituted by two planes, two engines carried by each cell arranged symmetrically relatively to a central vertical plane, the said engines being so located in relation to said plane that the distance between the shafts of the engines is slightly greater than the diameter-'olf the propellers to be mounted thereon.

5. ln an aeroplane having a plurality of planes, a plurality of engines arranged in vertical sets symmetrically disposed with relation to a central vertical plane, spaced uprights between which each set of engines is mounted, one upright of each pair being continued below the lower plane and an inclined strut connecting the lower termials of each pair or' uprights so as to provide a triangular landing frame for resisting lateral shocks.

6. lin an aeroplane two superposed cells, each constituted by two planes, means for supporting engines in vertical alignment with one engine in each of said cells, uprights passing through all o1 said planes adjacent the engines and near the ends of the upper and lower planes, tension members connecting diagonal opposite corners of said uprights, additional uprights interposed between the intermediate planes beyond the ends of said upper and lower planes and flexible connections between said additional uprights and said end uprights.

In testimony whereoll l have hereunto set my hand in presence or two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS BLRT.

Wtnesses:

CEAS. P. PRnssLY, PAUL BLUM. 

